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Enlarge /. A charter Spectrum Van in West Lake Hills, Texas in April 2019.
Charter may bill Netflix and other online video streaming services for network connection, despite a merger condition prohibiting the practice, a federal appeals court ruled today.
The District of Columbia Circuit's Court of Appeal ruling removes two terms of a merger that the Obama administration placed on the charter when it bought Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks in 2016. The FCC, chaired by Ajit Pai, defended the merits of failing to court the terms of the merger that pave the way for today's decision. The case was decided in a 2: 1 vote by a jury of three judges from the DC Circuit.
The lawsuit against the FCC to lift the terms of the merger of charters was brought by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a think tank for the free market, and four charter users who claim they have been harmed by the terms. The FCC has unsuccessfully challenged the sued parties' legal standing and failed to legally defend the terms themselves.
Although Charter did not file that lawsuit, the ISP has separately asked the FCC to expire the network connectivity condition and a data restriction ban condition on May 18, 2021, two years ahead of schedule. Today's court ruling appears to challenge the charter's petition on the connectivity condition, but the court ruling has not lifted the data restriction ban.
Charter is the second largest cable company in the United States after Comcast and offers service in 41 states under the Spectrum brand.
ISPs extract payments from online videos
The Obama-era FCC required the charter to give major online providers a free connection by 2023. The condition was designed to prevent business disputes that have historically impacted consumer broadband performance when businesses refuse to pay fees requested by ISPs.
"There are many interconnection agreements in place between broadband ISPs and 'edge providers' like Netflix, those who deliver content to consumers over the internet," said today's ruling. "Because broadband providers allow edge providers to reach their subscribers, broadband providers can often extract payments from edge providers. The controversial condition prohibits New Charter (the post-merger company) from doing so."
The CEI lawsuit argued that the Charter's obligation to forego income from interconnection agreements resulted in the Charter increasing broadband prices after the merger. Of course, Charter could have simply pocketed additional income from the interconnection and still increased internet prices, as there is little competition from other high-speed broadband providers in its cable area. DC Circuit judges agreed with plaintiffs' argument:
At the outset, the condition clearly led New Charter to forego revenue from edge providers. Prior to the merger, Time Warner, the largest broadband provider among the merging companies, generated significant revenues from paid interconnection agreements. Bright House too. However, the terms of the merger prohibit New Charter from using the same sources of income.
It's also clear that consumer bills went up shortly after the merger. Prior to the merger, France and Haywood (two of the petitioners) subscribed to Bright House and Frank Time Warner's broadband service. Shortly thereafter, New Charter increased its monthly bills: France's bill rose about 20 percent from $ 84 to $ 101; Haywood rose about 40 percent from $ 51 to $ 71; and Frank is about 5 percent, from $ 75.99 to $ 79.99.
"Minor financial injury" enough to show its reputation
The case mainly centered around the question of whether the sued consumers were entitled to question the terms. Even if other factors besides interconnection contributed to the price increases, "the subscribers do not have to prove that the prohibition of paid interconnection agreements caused all of the price increases or even caused price increases of a certain amount," the judges wrote. "Even a small amount of financial damage is enough for permanent purposes and consumers have shown a significant likelihood that their bills will be higher due to the prohibition on paid interconnection agreements."
The lawsuit related to four terms of the merger, and the judges ruled that plaintiffs had to contest two of them: the interconnection ban and a condition that charter must offer discounted internet service to people on low incomes. The litigants have the option to challenge the discount service condition by arguing that a low-income service causes higher prices for other consumers, the judges found.
With consumers entitled to question both of these terms, the FCC's refusal to defend the terms on its merit made the judges' decision easier. The judges wrote that they do not have to "resolve" all of the thorny issues in the case because "there is an easier ground for a decision. The legality of the interconnection and discounted services terms has been duly received, but the FCC declined to include them in." to defend the case. " Merits. The agency's only explanation for this was their view that we cannot match the merits. After losing on this issue, the FCC has no further line of defense. "The two conditions are" free (d) given the FCC's refusal to defend itself on the matter, "the judges wrote.
Due to the low-income conditions, Charter had to offer 30Mbps broadband service for no more than $ 14.99 in service fees and no more than $ 5 in router rental fees per month and enroll at least 525,000 qualified low-income households by May 2020 Condition with its Spectrum Internet Assist program, which is similar to a low-income program that Time Warner Cable offered prior to the merger. Under the terms of the merger, Charter was allowed to increase the base price to USD 17.99 per month last year. Charter has not announced any plans to stop offering the service to low income users.
The judges dismissed the lawsuit's challenge to the data cap, stating that "there is little evidence that New Charter would offer usage-based pricing if it were allowed". The judges also declined to contest the demand that the charter expand its network to 2 million additional households and businesses, saying that "the new charter already has much of the necessary infrastructure in place and the resulting cost savings cannot be reimbursed ". The litigants "offer no reason to believe that the New Charter will abandon the project if it is allowed to do so now" and "no reason to believe that the New Charter would abandon the project at this late stage for a wasted time Investment to ensure the decision to do so would somehow lower prices for its broadband customers, "the judges wrote.
"Prices rise due to mergers"
Charter announced to the FCC that it "currently" has no plans to impose data restrictions or charge video providers for interconnection, but the company would like the bans to be lifted because they "put Charter at a competitive disadvantage" and "forc ( e) "Charter for the operation of its network on the basis of arbitrary merger terms rather than market terms. "
We contacted Charter today regarding the court ruling and will update this article when we receive a response.
Matt Wood, vice president of policy for consumer group Free Press, responded to the court ruling that "prices rise because of mergers, not the tame conditions imposed on them. That is the whole point of eliminating competitors and concentrating power." ""
Wood pointed to a free press filed with the FCC in which he said that "Charter provides better value and better financial results for itself than any other large wired ISP. The notion that either Charter or its customers are among the Having suffered conditions is a joke, like any claim by the litigants, that unconditional mergers and monopolies are somehow better for the people. "
Disclosure: The Advance / Newhouse partnership, which owns 13 percent of the charter, is part of Advance Publications. Advance Publications owns Condé Nast, which owns Ars Technica.


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The filing of a landmark antitrust lawsuit against Google by the Department of Justice (DOJ) last week represents the “first-strike” at the Google-Apple alliance. It also signaled that US lawmakers’ concerns were intensifying as the Nov. 3 presidential election approaches.
There has been an ongoing “tech-lash” and intense scrutiny on Silicon Valley. And the big tech platforms are fighting back trying to fend off regulators and legislation with a sustained lobbying campaign and a unique ability to control the news and influence thinking around the world.
The suit claims that Google is “unlawfully maintaining monopolies through anticompetitive and exclusionary practices in the search and search advertising markets” and aims to stop Google “to remedy the competitive harms.”
With the Google-Apple alliance, every web search on an iPhone, or from other devices, default straight to Google. Although a user has the option to change to an alternative search engine like Microsoft Bing most don’t bother.
It’s one of a number of ways that the giants of tech reinforce each other’s core businesses, even as they compete in other areas. Along with the antitrust concerns, the Google-Apple deal allows Apple to claim it is preserving user privacy while still indirectly making money from Google’s customer data harvesting.
This long-standing partnership is one of the most lucrative business agreements in history. Google pays Apple somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 billion to make its search engine the default on Apple’s iPhone and other Apple devices. This is Google’s single largest yearly outlay and the agreement also accounts for about 20% of Apple’s annual profits.
It’s easy to view these companies as monopolies. It is estimated that the big 5 mega-tech companies are now worth more than $7 trillion. The earnings reports due from Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Google-parent Alphabet are anticipated to show that Big Tech unlike other industries is prospering during the pandemic.
Apple and Google respond
Apple CEO Tim Cook defended the Google deal in a 2018 interview on “Axios on HBO.” He claims that “One, I think their search engine is the best. … But, two, look at what we’ve done with the controls we’ve built in. We have private web browsing. We have intelligent tracker prevention. … It’s not a perfect thing. I’d be the very first person to say that. But it goes a long way to helping.”
There are many ways that the giants of tech reinforce each other’s core businesses, even though they compete in other areas. When the suit was filed, Apple defended the practice with a “Public Policy” blog.
It’s common for technology companies to pay to have their software pre-installed on new phones or PCs. However, such deals have also come under antitrust scrutiny when used to reinforce a dominant market position.
Apple is also facing ongoing lawsuits from within the industry for its business practices. The Coalition for App Fairness was formed as an independent nonprofit organization to fight for fairness and promote competition across the app ecosystem.
Google SVP of Global Affairs Kent Walker called the DOJ antitrust lawsuit as “deeply flawed” and based on “dubious arguments.” He said, “People use Google because they choose to, not because they’re forced to, or because they can’t find alternatives.”
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На русском языке:
Сегодня в минских торговых центрах проверят НЕсоблюдение масочного режима
На беларускай мове: Сёння ў мінскіх гандлёвых цэнтрах правераць НЕвыкананне масачнага рэжыму
The editors of Motolko.help received the information about the upcoming inspections of some of the Minsk shopping centers. The day before, a letter demanding to remove all mask mandate stickers was sent to all of the tenants of Dana Mall business premises. There’s also the information that they remove mask mandate stickers in the Skala shopping center.
It is reported that inspections are also planned in other trading establishments, where, in addition to removing stickers, they require staff not to wear masks.
Mask mandate stickers have already disappeared from the Green City and the Galleria Minsk shopping centers.
«Security guards are walking around with scrapers. Most of the sellers still wear masks as before».
We recall that since October 26, advertisements about the need to wear masks have been destroyed in Minsk. That’s because of the fact that in the midst of the 4th wave of COVID-19, which Belarusian doctors call the most severe, Lukashenko told the officials that by introducing mask mandate they «made a lot of noise throughout the country». Along with the mask mandate, not only advertisements about the need to wear masks, but also posters with the simplest hygiene regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic disappear from transport, public catering, crowded public areas and even clinics on the order of the officials.


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|Filed Under:||Technology / Internet|
|Posts on Regator:||10797|
|Posts / Week:||21.1|
|Archived Since:||April 6, 2008|
Tim Stevens, writing for CNet: Instead of a one-time, $300 fee, starting on 2019 models BMW will charge $80 annually for the privilege of accessing Apple’s otherwise totally free CarPlay service. You do get the first year free, muchShow More Summary
Horace Dediu: As individuals we think that having lots of cash makes us rich. For companies it’s the opposite. Cash is a liability. If you come across a company that is cash rich and has nothing else, its enterprise value will be zero. Show More Summary
Stephen Pulvirent, writing for Hodinkee: Working with Tony Fadell (who you might know as the designer of he iPod, the founder of Nest, [and a noted Talking Watches guest][tf]), Ressence has gone a few steps further than anyone else thinking in this direction. Show More Summary
What a stupid, silly idea. I love it. ?
Open Letters was a site that ran in the latter half of 2000. Contributions were from anyone. There were small, collaborative projects like Open Letters all over the web back then. It was good. Dean Allen’s letter was great: Dear Dad, So Mom got married yesterday. Show More Summary
Make haste slowly.
Jack Morse, reporting for Mashable: The tech giant runs shuttle buses full of employees from San Francisco to its headquarters in Cupertino every day, and, according to a source inside the company, someone is attacking those buses —Show More Summary
It’s time for Farhad Manjoo to write a less eye-roll-inducing column: Imagine if, once a week, your phone gave you a report on how you spent your time, similar to how your activity tracker tells you how sedentary you were last week. It could also needle you: “Farhad, you spent half your week scrolling through Twitter. Show More Summary
Apple: Apple expects to invest over $30 billion in capital expenditures in the US over the next five years and create over 20,000 new jobs through hiring at existing campuses and opening a new one. Apple already employs 84,000 people...Show More Summary
Erik Wemple: All those media-trust studies have a tendency toward the rote. Yes, we already knew that the public had little trust in the country’s journalistic organs. Yes, we knew that finding credible sources could be a harrowing pursuit for the public. Show More Summary
Alex Roy, writing for The Drive: The Model 3 is a triumph of industrial design. Forget the naysayers. Ask anyone who isn’t a car person, or especially women — a group too often excluded from the conversation, despite its size and disproportionate purchasing power, by an industry yet to have its Weinstein moment — for real perspective. Show More Summary
Amy Wang, reporting for The Washington Post: Around 8:05 a.m., the Hawaii emergency employee initiated the internal test, according to a timeline released by the state. From a drop-down menu on a computer program, he saw two options:...Show More Summary
At this point Uber should best be described not as a business or startup, but as a racket, a criminal enterprise. ?
Horace Dediu, on the latest figures from Apple on App Store revenue: A few observations: Developer payment rate is now above $25 billion/yr. I’ve been notified via Twitter that this is higher than the revenue of McDonald’s Corporation in 2016. During this year iOS users will be spending about $100 million per day for Apps. Show More Summary
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a review for CNN, the video seems like the “real” review, and the written article seems like an afterthought extracted from the video review. He makes three main points: The car drives and performs well, about...Show More Summary
Laura Hazard Owen, writing for the Nieman Journalism Lab: Facebook is making big, immediate changes to News Feed. The company will now prioritize content from friends, family, and groups over “public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a post Thursday night. Show More Summary
I thought that Confide rang a bell. I hadn’t tried it personally until yesterday, but now I remember where I’d heard of it: in the early days of the Trump White House, there were reports like this one from Axios that leaking staff members were using it to communicate privately. ?
Ben Bajarin, writing from CES 2018: We would go to CES and remark at how Apple’s dominance loomed over he show. Vendors of all shapes and sizes were rushing to be a part of the Apple ecosystem. Apple’s ecosystem was front and centerShow More Summary
From an announcement for a new version of Confide, a “confidential messenger” app: ScreenShield is a patent-pending technology that allows you to view an app’s content on your screen but prevents you from taking a screenshot of it. If you...
Adam Rogers, writing for Wired on indie menswear maker Outlier (a former DF sponsor): Pants tough enough to deal with anything became Outlier’s signature play — trousers “for the end of the world,” as the folks at GQ put it. “We were trying to solve a specific cycling problem,” Burmeister says. Show More Summary


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Vectura Group plc
Please contact Sales at: (212) 520-2765 or email PharmaNewsSales@informa.com
Latest From Vectura Group plc
Cash-rich private equity firms are eyeing opportunities in healthcare, especially among listed companies with sluggish share prices. The Carlyle Group could be getting a bargain if it seals a deal for the Chippenham-based inhalation specialist.
Weeks after partner Hikma launched its generic version of GSK’s Advair, Wiltshire-based Vectura has agreed a takeover offer by private equity Carlyle, which aims to build a market leading inhalation specialist CDMO.
Patients who receive breast reconstructive surgery using some brands of acellular dermal matrix seem to have a higher risk of major complications than those whose surgeries did not use the mesh, says a safety alert from the US FDA.
Just nine drug developers went public in the US during the first quarter of last year, but with the industry boosted by pandemic response, 32 biopharma companies launched IPOs in Q1 of this year.
- Medical Devices
- Contract Manufacturing Organization
- Drug Delivery
- Generic Drugs
- Other Names / Subsidiaries
- Activaero GmbH
- Innovata plc
- Quadrant Healthcare
- SkyePharma PLC


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- “Whether it’s rye flour, or bird flu that impacts eggs,” said Ken Jarosch, the owner of Jarosch Bakery, “when it makes national news, just running a business, it’s an opportunity to increase the prices without getting a whole bunch of complaining from the customers.”
- It’s not the kind of thing you typically hear a business owner express publicly but Jarosch was simply stating late last year his philosophy about when it’s safe for a business such as his — a midsized bakery in the Chicago suburbs — to hike prices for cookies, cakes and other carbs.
- He had the idea long before Covid upended supply chains, realizing he could quickly push through price increases when news hits of some big shock to the economy because there’ll be less pushback from customers right then.
How ‘Excuseflation’ Is Keeping Prices — and Corporate Profits — High
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 08: Cartons of eggs are displayed for sale at a supermarket on January 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by I RYU/VCG via Getty Images)
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- Chrome OS and Linux user can now make voice calls through Skype’s Web version
- Video calling feature is not available as of now
- Skype’s Android app can be installed on selective Chrome OS devices
It seems like Microsoft has finally chosen a more accommodative stance as the company seems to have allowed Chrome OS and Linux users to make audio calls by using Skype for Web. However, the company has not made any official statement regarding the update.
A simple sign-in procedure now allows you to make voice calls through Skype for Web. Earlier, only instant messaging support was provided to Chrome OS users through Skype for Web.
Even though the audio calls can now be made via Chromebooks, video call support has not been provided to Skype for Web on Chrome OS as of now, according to a report by PCWorld.
It’s worth pointing out that some Chromebook users have the option of using Skype’s Android app, it will have very limited appeal as very few Chromebooks are getting support for Android apps and Play Store.
Last month, Android App and Google Play support came to Chrome OS-running Asus Chromebook Flip. Along with the Asus Chromebook Flip, Acer Chromebook R11 and Google Chromebook Pixel (2015 edition) are also expected to get the support for running Android apps.
In May, Chromebooks outsold Apple’s Mac machines for the first time in the US, so they seem to be getting a lot of traction in the market. Skype’s latest move will be music to Chrome OS users.


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Owners of OnePlus 9 Pro, the latest phone released by OnePro, reported overheating issues, particularly when using the camera app.
OnePlus Pro 9 overheating issue
Numerous users have taken to the OnePlus community forum to complain about the overheating issue. According to Gadgets 360, they also noticed the issue when they reviewed the phone too.
OnePlus 9 Pro flagship was launched in India in March, together with OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9R.
The users have taken to a feedback thread on the forums to report of the overheating issues on the OnePlus 9 Pro. Users stated that the overheating warning shows up even when they indulge in light use of the phone's camera app.
One OnePlus Pro 9 buyer tried to take a picture in sunlight, and his phone started showing the overheating warning. However, the weather outside was not enough to warrant the message.
Some users complain of overheating OnePlus 9 Pro devices during 4K120fps recording done inside a 22-degree temperature room. Most of the overheating issues are reported to be in direct sunlight, just like OnePlus 8 Pro.
The Verge tried to reach out to OnePlus regarding the issue faced by the owners of OnePlus 9 Pro, and the company acknowledged the issue.
They stated that they are aware of it and that they are planning to roll out a fix. The company is looking to bring a software update with the fix over the next few weeks.
Until the fix arrives, the owners of OnePlus 9 Pro can report the issue on the forum to help escalate it further. OnePlus 9 Pro costs around $800 for the 128 GB storage variant and $900 for the 12GB + 256 GB storage model. The phone comes in different colors: Pine Green, Morning Mist and Stellar Black.
OnePlus 9 Pro features
The OnePlus 9 Pro is a premium device and is one of the best phones on the market right now, despite the ongoing issue it's facing.
The 6.7-inch QHD+AMOLED panel is beautiful with punchy colors, deep blacks and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It matches the Samsung Galax S21 Plus and beats the iPhone 12 Pro, as per Tom's Guide.
The OnePlus 9 Pro's camera performance is solid. Colors are a subdued with a natural tone. The phone's camera module has four lenses, a laser autofocus, LED flash, and built-in microphone. The material surrounding the device has a semi-matte look.
The OnePlus 9 Pro packs a Snapdragon 888 chipset, which is currently the best system-on-chip that an Android device can get, paired with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM.
The phone has a veritable powerhouse, you can edit documents, message on Slack, listen to Spotify or play a video game on your phone, but it will not slow down.
Also, the phone has an amazing battery life as it can reach an average of 10 hours and 40 minutes with the Smart 120Hz enabled. If you switch to the 60Hz mode, it will last for 10 hours and 38 minutes.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sieeka Khan


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Showing results for: Public attitudes
In this blog post on the Oxford Livestock, Environment and People (LEAP) website, FCRN member James Painter summarises his recent research on media coverage of animal agriculture and its links to climate change, and lab-grown (or cultured) meat as an alternative to meat eating. The research shows that media coverage of animal agriculture tends to focus on consumer responsibility as opposed to the role of governments or large farms.
This paper co-authored by FCRN member Emma Garnett finds that placing vegetarian options first on the counter of student cafeterias increases their sales by 5-6% when the different options are widely spaced (>1.5m), but not when the options are close together (<1.0m).
This report by wildlife charity WWF gives the results of a survey of people in Hong Kong, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Respondents were asked about their sentiments on the COVID-19 outbreak in their respective country and their opinions on illegal and unregulated markets selling wildlife.
This paper, co-authored by FCRN member Christian Reynolds, discusses public engagement at the authors’ ‘Take a Bite Out of Climate Change’ stand, which used infographics, short games and displays of vertical farming and insect-based foods to encourage discussion about the climate impacts of food production.
FCRN member Lukas Paul Fesenfeld has co-authored this paper, which surveys people from China, Germany and the United States to assess levels of public support for various types of policy aimed at reducing meat and fish consumption. It explores how “packaging” several policies together can increase acceptance among voters.
This paper finds that downplaying explicit statements of environmental benefits can be a more effective advertising strategy than prioritising the environmental aspects in product categories that are not normally seen as “green”. This is because consumers often perceive green products as performing less well than conventional products, according to the paper.
This report assesses the impact of the UK non-profit Veg Power’s “Eat them to defeat them” advertising campaign, which aimed to persuade children to eat more vegetables. Children who had seen the advertising campaign were more likely to agree with statements such as “Eating vegetables is fun”, “I like vegetables” and “Vegetables can be really tasty” than those who did not see the adverts. An estimated 650,000 children ate more vegetables as a result of the campaign.
In this report, the global non-profit World Resources Institute lists 23 ways in which the food service sector could encourage diners to choose dishes that contain more plants and less ruminant meat.
According to this paper, most meat-eaters think that vegetarian and vegan diets are ethical, good for the environment, healthy and socially acceptable, but also tend to believe that these diets are difficult, not tasty, inconvenient and expensive. Vegetarian diets tend to be viewed more positively than vegan diets across all measures included in the survey, except for ethical considerations and the environment, where vegan and vegetarian diets are viewed equally.
The Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR) at Coventry University has launched a new podcast series, The Changing Room, which will explore how to cope with social, economic and environmental change. The first episode explores how climate change is affecting our everyday lives. The second episode, which will be released in January 2020, will discuss food justice.
This report from Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph tracks changes in food prices in Canada. It finds that prices in some food categories were impacted by environmental events, including an unexpected 5% increase in fish prices due to warming oceans. It also predicts that consumers will put strong pressure on food producers to avoid single-use plastic packaging, and that the Canadian food system is likely to be stressed by climate change, such as through droughts, forest fires and heavy precipitation.
This report by Lloyd’s Register (a UK-based provider of professional services for engineering) surveyed 1000 UK shoppers. It finds that one in three shoppers are concerned about food safety, only 19% are very confident that the vegetarian or vegan food they eat does not contain meat, nearly two thirds of people sometimes check the country of origin of food they buy, and 85% of shoppers think it is fairly or very important for supermarkets to source their products ethically and sustainably.
This report from the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR) at Coventry University examines how farming in China can move away from a dependence on “industrial agriculture” (defined here as excessive and inefficient use of fertilisers and pesticides) towards agroecological systems (including practices such as lower stocking densities, using manure instead of synthetic fertilisers, growing diverse crops and using soil-building techniques).
Over 10,000 farmers blocked roads in Berlin on 26 November 2019 with a convoy of tractors in protest at regulations that will limit the use of fertiliser (to reduce groundwater pollution) and the weedkiller glyphosate (to protect insect populations). Farmers say that the measures will threaten their livelihoods and are also protesting against the perception that farmers are to blame for the climate crisis.
According to a survey by UK NGO Eating Better, 63% of 11 to 18 year olds in the UK see the environment and climate change as the top concern for the UK at the moment. While most do not want to change their levels of meat consumption, 29% of those who do eat meat would like to reduce their consumption.
This paper analyses the Twitter reactions to the diet proposed by the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems, focusing on the #yes2meat hashtag as well as the official #EATLancet hashtag. The study found a sizable countermovement that was sceptical of the EAT-Lancet dietary recommendations, with the #yes2meat term becoming prominent around one week before the EAT-Lancet report was launched.
This feature from the Guardian newspaper explores why veganism attracts hostility from some commenters. The piece suggests that opposition to veganism can be driven by concerns about malnutrition and fear of loss of personal freedom, and may also be linked to certain ideas about traditional gender roles.


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Amazon’s ambitions have few limits, and the mere specter of its entry into a particular industry can shape markets. When the company has appeared interested in expanding into a new business, it has spooked investors in potential competitors, leading to large sell-offs. The most recent example: Amazon, along with JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway, announced the formation of a new health care company on Tuesday. The three companies provided few details about the new entity, other than saying it would initially focus on technology to provide simplified, high-quality health care for their employees and their families, and at a reasonable cost. But health care investors shuddered at the prospect, selling off shares of established players like UnitedHealth and Anthem plunging. Both stocks quickly fell by more than 5 percent.
One of the more notable examples of Amazon’s influence is in the pharmacy business. After reports that Amazon might soon enter the prescription drug market, shares in CVS Health and Walgreens, the two largest pharmacy chains, fell sharply in early October.
Then, in early December, CVS said it would pay $69 billion to buy Aetna, a deal that could reshape the health industry. Many analysts said that Amazon’s interest in selling prescription drugs was one reason why the two began talking. The idea is that the deal could help insulate the companies in case Amazon does make an ambitious move into selling drugs, as well as give the combined improved leverage in negotiations with drug companies.
With huge amounts of consumer spending and frustrating inefficiencies, prescription drug sales are the type of business that invariably attracts Amazon’s attention. And the likelihood of Amazon eventually getting into the pharmacy business is high, several analysts and a former employee have said. But it is not clear when it will make that move or how aggressive it intends to be.
In June, Amazon announced that it would buy Whole Foods for more than $13 billion, by far its biggest acquisition yet. The unexpected deal sent shares in several of the nation’s biggest grocers, including Walmart, and Safeway, down sharply. Kroger, another top grocer, lost about one-tenth of its value on the day of the announcement.
But the drop in stock prices wasn’t a one-time occurrence.
Shares in these companies fell again a couple of months later, when Amazon said it would sharply lower prices on numerous products at Whole Foods. Kroger, for example, fell 8.1 percent that day.
Amazon has put a lot of time and effort into improving its ability to deliver goods to customers, encroaching bit by bit on the country’s two giant delivery companies, FedEx and U.P.S. It has leased dozens of cargo jets to distribute inventory to warehouses around the country and is a building its own hub in Kentucky for a fleet of its own planes.
The key phrases here are “own hub” and its “own planes.”
When the news was reported in January that Amazon was building a cargo hub in Kentucky, where U.P.S. has its largest air cargo facility, stocks in both U.P.S. and FedEx plunged. In U.P.S.’s case, it would take the better part of the year for its shares to recover.
That wasn’t helped by the media event that Amazon held in July to show off its Prime Air fleet of planes, which it tested during its annual Prime Day promotional event. In October, the delivery companies took another hit after a report that Amazon was testing its own delivery service.
“We do the prep. You be the chef.” So read Amazon’s trademark application in early July for prepared food kits. Then, later in the month came reports that Amazon Meal Kits were available on the company’s website. The reports sent the stock price of Blue Apron, the newly public meal kit service, down as much as 11 percent.
One area of shopping that Amazon has not yet entered is the car business.
If you want a Ford F-150 or a Tesla Model 3, you still need to go elsewhere, and there is no sign that will change anytime soon.
But car parts are another matter, and Amazon’s aggressively pursued that business in 2017, reaching deals with some large parts distributors. The result has been falling share prices for some of the nation’s biggest parts retailers, including AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts.


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New lease options would be available for the second half of the year, estimated the automaker.
The auto giant Toyota said it is making a strategic investment in Uber and will offer auto leases to drivers that are working to provide private chauffeur service.
In order to rent Toyota vehicles, Uber is expanding its existing program. In turn, the companies will collaborate on the development and expansion of the service in emerging markets.Toyota
Strategic investment – the amount of which has not been revealed- will be made through the Toyota Financial Services Corporation and Mirai Creation Investment Limited Partnership, a fund in which the Japanese auto firm participates as an investor.
Toyota and Uber expect to begin offering new leasing options for the second half of this year, said Keisuke Kirimoto, a spokesman for Toyota.
“We realize that this collaboration has potential, but we want to start a pilot project,” Kirimoto said.
“We want to explore and then see what will be possible.”
Automakers have been developing partnerships with various global private transport services by request, seeking partners that can help sell more vehicles.


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A judge has given final approval to the settlement of a click-fraud lawsuit, despite critics' characterization of the settlement as a slap on the wrist for Google.
PC vendors announced new desktop and workstation PCs following Intel's launch of its "Conroe" Core 2 Duo processor.
Intel has unveiled its new Core 2 Duo processor lineup, increasing the pressure on rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The 10 new dual-core chips promise markedly better performance and greater energy efficiency than Intel's existing products.
Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store added six new shows from Warner Bros. Entertainment, including the first season of the hit show "Friends" and sci-fi series "Babylon 5."
Security vendor McAfee has detected a new piece of malicious software that masquerades as part of the Firefox Internet browser.
Google hopes to help make click fraud more transparent with a new feature that offers advertisers reports of invalid clicks, the search giant said on Tuesday.
An trial began this week in America, in which prosecutors say a man forced a cell phone down a woman's throat but the defense say says the woman swallowed the device on purpose to hide data on whom she had been calling.
Microsoft will deliver the next version of its Internet Explorer (IE) browser to consumers via its Automatic Updates (AU) service, but the company will give enterprises a tool to make corporate desktops bypass the update.
With its acquisition of ATI Technologies, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is hoping to break Intel's "monopoly grip" on the chip market by offering more flexibility to PC makers and moving into emerging markets, according to an AMD executive.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is set to launch its "Rev. F" dual-core Opteron chip on Aug. 15, defending its turf in the server market against Intel.
Intel is planning to launch its "Conroe" chip for desktops this week, triggering a cascade of steep price cuts in the chip market and a raft of new PC designs.
Samsung Electronics has developed a flash memory-based drive that will help users take advantage of features in Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista operating system to increase performance of their computers.
About 1.8 million people in Japan are active users of file-sharing software, a sharp increase from a year ago, according to a survey by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), TV broadcasters and other industry groups.
High definition (HD) optical disk drives will probably be integrated into Lenovo notebook lines some time in 2007, claims Lenovo's Arimasa Naitoh, the man responsible for the development of the ThinkPad and Lenovo notebooks.
Maximum upstream speeds in Australia are expected to more than double within the next three months, as Internode finally breaks through a year-long negotiation process with the Australian Communications Industry Forum over ADSL2+ Annex M.
Whether it’s consumer or enterprise security there is one bottom line: there is no point in cutting corners when it comes to security.
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The fans of Red Dead Redemption 2 will have to extend their patience a little longer. It seems that Rockstar Games is not intending to release the sequel until spring 2018. This was essentially what the game publisher has announced recently.
Previously, Rockstar has scheduled the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 this coming fall. But this latest news has already superseded that. The video game was supposed to be in development for Xbox One and PS4. Naturally, the game publisher says there are valid reasons for the delay.
Rockstar Explains The Reasons For The Delay
In its twitter post, Rockstar said it is delaying the title launch to ensure that they will deliver "the best experience possible for their fans." The game publisher explained that the epic story of Red Dead Redemption 2 is set across the vast and unforgiving heartland of America. Since it will be their first game developed from scratch and designed for the latest consoles, they need extra time to ensure that things will not go haywire.
Perhaps to assuage the feelings of Red Dead Redemption 2 fans, the game publisher said that it will come out with more news about the game this summer. Rockstar also recently released a number of fresh screenshots of the game. The high def quality of the screenshots will give fans an idea of what they can expect when the video game is finally released.
Company Stocks Are Already Being Affected
Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games, is already being affected by Red Dead Redemption 2's launch date delay. Its stocks closed at $62.56 after-hours trading on Monday, down from $69.04 the previous trading day. The company is supposed to release its earnings report on Tuesday.
Aside from Xbox One and PS4, it seems Take-Two is also planning to release Red Dead Redemption 2 on the Nintendo Switch. Hopefully, the Switch version will not suffer the delays that the two other platforms were subjected to.


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Harrison, the international hospitality design and brand development consultancy with offices in the UAE, UK and the USA, is expanding its Dubai-based team with the appointment of experienced licensed architect Joran Lacsao.
Joran has consulted on the Middle East architectural design projects for over a decade, latterly as an architect at the National Engineering Bureau in Dubai and previously for an international design studio advising multinational hotel brands such as Sheraton, Hilton, Hyatt Regency, Le Meridien and Marriott.
At Harrison, his responsibilities will include assisting the designers on the production of construction drawings as well as advising on the technical aspects of individual projects.
Commenting on the new addition, Harrison’s UAE head, Jon Bentley, said: “We are extremely fortunate to be able to bring Joran on board here in Dubai and to welcome him as a key member of our team. He reinforces our ability to offer clients inspirational, global design knowledge combined with strong, local technical expertise.”
Joran’s appointment follows the arrival earlier this year of two new senior designers at Harrison’s UAE office – bar and restaurant senior designer Kerrie Gray and experienced hotel hospitality designer Jim Rankin.
Harrison’s growth in the Middle East has been spurred on by a strengthening pipeline of one-off and multi-site projects in the region, including Cocoa Kitchen in City Walk, Eat Greek in Dubai Mall and The Brass in JBR.


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Sunny, with a chance of real growth: A prognosis for PR in 2021
Guest Column: Atul Ahluwalia, Founding Partner, First Partners, outlines four key trends for the PR and communications industry in 2021
India, like most of the world, faced the worst of the COVID-19 over 2020 and is now one of the few nations exhibiting a rapid recovery and emergence from this debilitating period of crisis and disruption. With our economy facing global headwinds as early as by the end of 2019, the pandemic deepened the challenges and forever transformed the way we live and work. One thing is certain now, things are not going to be the same again. Ever. For businesses, the aim ought to be out-maneuvering uncertainty and diffidence. Be it in manufacturing, or services, airlines, infrastructure, or finance, in India we are welcoming the push for much-touted ‘V-shaped’ recovery. Coming on the back of accelerating digital transformation, establishing agile operations, it may not be too over-optimistic to claim that after the dark days of last year, things are bound to get better now.
Already we can see encouraging signs that the media industry is poised for a cautious healthy recovery, and, in the same vein the communications sector should also get a leg up. In this context, it is most instructive to note that of all catalysts of growth and change, digital is now going to be accelerated as a result of companies needing to go online or from the dynamics of working from home. In fact, it is the digital DNA that will become a major performance gap between the leaders in technology adoption and the laggards. Also, the fact that many companies truly prioritize their employees' well-being, particularly in the emergent WFH scenario, and are ready and willing to act on that value, a significant shift in doing business is inevitable. With these new behaviours, organizations now have an opportunity to accelerate the pivot to digital, establish variable cost structures, and thereby grow faster than even before. Contextually then, to my mind, the four key trends for the PR and communications industry in 2021 could be summarized as under:
Trend1: Onset of the age of the hybrid model: Agencies will accept and work on the new post-pandemic normal of having both physical and digital presence. With this, one hopes to see a further, accelerated use of technologies for virtual meetings and digital work processes. For businesses in our industry, this immediately translates into efficiencies of both operations and cost. Less real estate and rental costs outflow, better geographical reach, and optimized client-agency servicing systems will positively impact bottom lines. Clearly, the changes ushered in by the lockdown adversity are likely to remain.
Trend 2: Richness of talent and quality outreach: With a proliferation of digital ways of working, agencies will witness a major reduction in the number of their physical offices. As a consequence, talent will become independent of location and could be source-able from across the country, and verticals. The diversity of locations added to the variety of talent base, for instance, a unique story-telling competence in regional languages, will add a definite heft to agencies that are looking at diversification and deepening of their offerings to the new, post-COVID market.
Trend 3: Strengthening of the integrated-model agencies: This is certainly not a new business model as far as communication businesses go, with vanishing of boundaries, both of talent and of location coupled with a demand for functional diversity and the need for viable growth, more and more integrated communications agencies should emerge. These will seek to offer a highly focused suite of services ranging from marketing, advocacy, design, and, of course, digital. In any case, media, the traditional stronghold, and mainstay of agencies will at best constitute 50 percent of their service mix.
Trend 4: National narrative: One pervasive ethos that is sure to emerge and become stronger in the coming days is that of nationalism. Increasingly, it will be seen that most communications will be developed and designed keeping a strong India focus in mind. From B2B or even B2C or C2C, pride in India and the echo of that intangible yet hugely evocative ‘Indian-ness’, businesses and transactional dialogues shall be done with this nation focus at heart. This will be reflected both by Indian companies as well as MNCs. This is because most experts now strongly believe that India is the land of opportunities in the emergent global world order, the nation first and always theme should prevail across communication themes.
India today is proudly on the track to self-reliance and growth. Being vocal for local underlies the pervasive spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. With the help of technology, India can accelerate digital transformation across sectors and become truly competitive globally. For independent and home-grown agencies, this ability to integrate and simultaneously differentiate will set them apart from the rest. While today we may have begun to emerge from the shadow of the pandemic, tomorrow companies will need to consider anew the way we design, communicate, build, and run the experiences that we as an industry need and want in the coming months and years.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com
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Over the past decade, research from the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) has developed a nuanced picture of U.S. adults who face financial challenges. Their findings have catalyzed work by others and when all the facts are put together, it is clear that this national challenge is far-reaching*:
- 53M adults lack access to credit because they don’t have a credit score
- 115M adults can’t find $400 for emergencies
- 100M adults struggle to pay their bills on time each month
- 76M adults have volatile income flows, making bill payment even more difficult
- On average, employees spend 3 work hours per week on personal financial matters
- The #1 concern for subsidized utility bill payers is getting help with managing on-time utility bill payments
These facts paint a vivid picture of financial stress. (And we didn’t even address medical bills and healthcare costs!) Financial health can provide dignity and opportunity.
Here at WattzOn, we have expanded our mission. We started the company to build a national platform that helps consumers save energy. Now we discovered these same tools help consumers manage utility bills AND improve their credit scores.
Take a look at our recent posts on how WattzOn helps consumers with credit challenges:
CFSI’s EMERGE is a 3-day conference in Austin, TX, focused on consumer financial health. The conference makes connections between innovative companies, larger institutions and the problems at hand, spurring profitable product offerings that address real market needs. We’re delighted to be attending this year!
If you’d like to meet WattzOn and integrate utility bill payment histories to your credit data, please contact Jon Enberg, VP of Partnerships. We look forward to engaging with you on this important topic!


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Advertisers look to work the margin for every extra click
The Russian internet branding and advertising world has become increasingly complex as advertisers become increasingly discerning about the medium they choose, and consumers choose from an increased range of options.
Internet advertising and media identities say the global financial crisis and ensuing economic downturn have unleashed volatility on what had been seen as a one way growth prospect. Oleg Polyakov, President of Aegis Media, says brand promotion became far tougher, just as clients became more choosy, fighting harder for end customers.“Since 1995 up to 2007, all players in the media business had a clear understanding of what to expect from the market. Presently there is a shared opinion that stability has gone and virtually anything may happen overnight.”With most brands having moved into the internet a decade or more ago, content has become the key driver of market differentiation and value adding. Dominic Grainger, General Director, Group M, Europe, Middle East and Africa, says that’s as true now as always, with brands looking to build complexity into customer understanding – as well as cashing in on the premium that good content provides – not just place a product at a price.“Just recently a high end online fashion retailer was launched in the UK. If you go on that site it's not a shop online. It's actually editorial content site. It's got lifestyle content, travel content, fashion. But it is selling expensive clothes.”But the real change in recent years has been the rise of service provision according to Ruslan Tagiev, General Director of TNS Russia. It’s now seen as a key part of profitability, with the rise of social networks now making them integral to the service provided “Web-based companies focusing on providing service rather than content have been more successful in terms of yielding profit. Social networks and search engines are the key players here.”But with advertisers increasingly under siege from freely available internet content, the marginal cost of providing fresh new content, which drives the premium, and drives the bottom line, is increasingly being questioned. If the content is already out there, more media players are asking if it is just enough to present it in a format their customers like. But traditionalists argue that quality content will always attract a premium, where the margin paid for yesterday’s is always diminishing.


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Video advertising has long been a reliable method for brands to reach their intended audience. This form of advertising always finds new ways to captivate the audience and evolve the way marketers can connect with them. The television industry has gone through many changes – like when specialty TV joined conventional TV channels, providing marketers with a means of reaching a national audience across a specific interest. The introduction of PPM (Personal People Metre) was also a key development, giving advertisers a means to measure out-of-home television viewership.
As the end of 2022 nears, a momentous change is coming – the popularity of advertising through connected TV. Ultimately, connected TV refers to any TV that is connected to the internet. This can happen through a combination of smart TVs (i.e. Samsung), streaming devices (i.e. Roku) or game consoles (i.e. PlayStation). Today, roughly ¾ of Canadians have connected TV capabilities. Thanks to the profound impact of television and the customization and measurement of the digital ecosystem, this trend provides marketers with new and exciting opportunities.
Big Players With Big Plans
While 80% of Canadians now subscribe to at least one over-the-top (OTT) subscription service (like Netflix, Amazon Prime or Tubi), not many premium streaming services have activated an ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) model – until now. Two of the biggest players, Netflix and Disney+, recently confirmed their plans to roll out AVOD between late 2022/2023. Disney+ has even gone a step further, announcing their AVOD plan will carry four minutes of ads for every hour of content. Given the traditional TV model has historically carried 16 minutes per hour or 4x more, this approach should help deliver more of a captive audience for advertisers to connect with through the platform.
As advertisers start to transition away from traditional TV, we will be able to execute more data-driven activations and maximize video performance and scale. But it won’t happen overnight. Given that as of spring 2022, the average Canadian adult 25-54 is still watching 18.2 hours of traditional TV (vs. streaming 11.7 hours across devices), we are still a while away from a complete revamp of our television advertising ecosystem.
More Impactful Opportunities For Video Advertising
For the time being, we can expect the emergence of connected TV capabilities to mirror other digital video efforts like YouTube or programmatic/publisher direct buys. It will likely be used adjacent to traditional TV anchored video buys (medium-large scale budgets) or activated independently to drive more cost-efficient video efforts while harnessing the power of digital (lower scale budget).
Either way, connected TV opportunities will provide marketers a means of reaching their intended audience through larger, and more impactful, screens while also setting the stage for what the modern video buying ecosystem will look like. We saw what programmatic capabilities were able to bring forward to the traditional digital ecosystem, and we are now starting to have a glimpse of what that ecosystem will look like on our television screens.


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How Much Can You Save With Nissan e-NV200? – Infographics
Nissan recently published two infographics:
1) How Much Can You Save With The Nissan e-NV200?
2) How Do You Charge Your Nissan e-NV200?
Especially interesting is the first one, which indicates that the average cost to charge for 100 km will be at €1.83 (based on France, Spain, Germany, UK and Italy), while the average cost of diesel is €8.48.
The Japanese company believes that this works out to a savings of €500 a year.


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LAS VEGAS – When it was announced, there were those who had questions or concerns about Intel's $7.7 billion marriage with security vendor McAfee Inc. Jim Phan of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., however, wasn't one of them.
A manager for endpoint security at New York-based Pfizer, Phan said he doesn't think the acquisition will have much of an effect on customers like Pfizer and the current product set. McAfee has too much invested in its customer base, Phan said, and its continued push to integrate all its products around a centralized management console -- the ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) -- is proof the company is investing in research and development to roll out new products.
"In the end, the acquisition doesn't matter because we're still dealing with the same people," Phan said. "It's really just about what makes sense for the two companies."
Those themes were also present in the opening keynote at the McAfee Focus 10 annual user conference. Attendees viewed a taped message from Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini, reassuring McAfee customers and partners that the chip giant plans to keep its hands off McAfee, at least in the near term. He reiterated Intel's message that security works best when integrated with hardware.
"We're not moving McAfee away from the software-based endpoint security technologies that it is best known for today," Otellini said. "McAfee will maintain all its current product lines and support for all its platforms."
McAfee President and CEO Dave DeWalt reiterated that message. During his time on stage, he said the two companies would work in tandem to create new products for emerging technologies that can architecturally benefit from hardware-based security.
"There's a lot of work that we can do together to build out the next generation of products with Intel," DeWalt said. "This going to be a whole new era for this company. They're going to invest in us and make this work ... and they're going to give us the autonomy that is necessary."
The goal is to enable down-the-stack protection, DeWalt said, using chip-based security to wipe, lock and kill lost or stolen devices or improve management technology that can talk to a device's firmware. For example, McAfee could use its patch management capabilities and leverage silicon to improve power management and save enterprises money, he said.
"Instead of running in the application layer, we have to think about technologies at a lower level in the stack," DeWalt said.
Conference attendee Tim Mooney, senior business leader of global information security at Visa Inc., said DeWalt's message is quickly aligning with Intel, which has talked about integrated chip security since 2003. Future products that offer that level of security, he said, could be exciting.
"I think we've reached the point where some of this can finally become a reality," Mooney said. "When you marriage the chip set with security you take out almost the entire OS game from the bad guys."
DeWalt also addressed some of McAfee's latest product announcements, including the release of McAfee's new virtualization platform, McAfee Management Optimized for Virtualized Environments AntiVirus (MOVE AV). The security vendor has worked with Citrix Systems Inc. on the desktop side and VMware Inc. on the server side to apply antivirus in the network layer of a virtualized environment with minimal performance degradation. McAfee is integrating the MOVE platform into ePolicy Orchestrator.
Wee Ming Teo, an IT security specialist at Malaysian-based satellite broadcaster Astro, said the proof that Intel is successfully managing its acquisition of McAfee will be in the details of future security products, which so far have not been revealed. For now, he said, McAfee seems focused on building out its current product set.
"I look forward to seeing future products," Teo said, "but I guess we'll have to wait and see."


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Google has announced a major shift in its approach to online account security, in a significant move for Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Passkeys are set to become the default option for personal Google Accounts, as the tech giant aims to simplify user sign-ins and enhance online security.
In a blog post authored by Senior Product Manager, Sriram Karra and Group Product Manager, Christiaan Brand, Google highlighted the success of passkeys since their initial rollout earlier this year.
“Users have responded positively to the simplified and more secure authentication method, which utilizes biometrics or a PIN for access. Passkeys, Google claims, are not only 40% faster than traditional passwords but also benefit from advanced cryptographic techniques that make them even more secure,” Google noted.
As a part of this initiative, Google users will soon notice prompts encouraging them to create and use passkeys when signing into their accounts.
Furthermore, the “Skip password when possible” option will be automatically toggled on in Google Account settings, streamlining the sign-in process.
However, Google acknowledges that transitioning to passkeys will take time, and some users may still prefer traditional passwords. To accommodate these preferences, individuals will have the option to continue using passwords and may opt out of passkeys by disabling the “Skip password when possible” setting.
According to Google, one of the most immediate advantages of passkeys is their ability to alleviate the frustration of remembering complex passwords with numerous numbers and special characters. Additionally, passkeys are designed to be more resistant to phishing attempts, enhancing online security.
The expansion of passkeys doesn’t stop at Google. Since their initial launch earlier this year, the technology has seen growing adoption across the industry. Companies like Uber and eBay have integrated passkeys into their sign-in processes, offering users the choice to eliminate passwords when accessing their platforms.
WhatsApp is also set to introduce passkey compatibility soon, further broadening the adoption of this secure sign-in method.
Looking ahead, Google plans to continue expanding the use of passkeys across various online accounts. The long-term goal is to make traditional passwords a rarity and eventually obsolete, ushering in an era of passwordless security.
Google encourages users to stay updated on the progress and industry adoption of passkeys, emphasizing that their commitment to enhanced online security remains steadfast.


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“These days, people are really looking for foods that are naturally functional as opposed to popping vitamins or things like that. They really want to get the healthy things in their diet, through the foods they are eating,” Greg May, a product developer with Welch’s Global Ingredient Group, told FoodNavigator-USA.
For support he pointed to a recent survey of more than 1,000 adults conducted by ORC International for Welch’s that found 63% saying they are aware that they should consume colorful produce.
In particular, May said, they should be consuming the color purple, which “is a sign post for nutrient density.” He explained that purple produce – such as the Concord Grapes that Welch’s uses in its finished products and ingredients – is packed with polyphenols that act as antioxidants in the body.
“Concord grapes are somewhat of a unique grape from most table grapes or wine grapes … and that difference gives Concord a little bit on an edge,” he said, explaining: “The skin on a Concord grape is much thicker than on a wine or table grape and it is really the skin where all that purple color is isolated. And so, because it is thicker, the Concord grape really has a high content of polyphenols.”
In fact, he said of juices, “purple Concord grapes are higher in polyphenols than most recognized superfruits like blueberries, acai and [cranberry]. We have tremendous content of polyphenols.”
On top of that, he said, “the Concord grape is a great tasting food. So, it is really a nice way to eat purple. It is a nice way to get polyphenols and even under that, Concord grapes offer tremendous value. They are not as expensive as some other superfruits, but they still give all the benefits on top of great taste.”
Despite the many known benefits of purple and consumer desire to consume it, most shoppers are hard pressed to think of more than three sources of purple.
May said this finding from the study surprised him, and reveals and marketing opportunity.
“The gap between people saying that purple is available and know that purple is something they should consume, yet how few are actually doing so and how many people were not aware of what the options were beyond a couple of items – that too me stood out,” May said. “And,” he added, “it really speaks to the opportunity to educate consumers as what is available” and to improve the “execution of how consumers can get purple in their diet.”
He underscored that the lack of purple products currently available also signals limited competition to hold back creative manufacturers.
As a company that has “always been purple,” and has a long-respected heritage with consumers, Welch’s is well positioned to help fill that education gap and work with manufacturers to meet the demand by using its line of Concord grape-based ingredients, May added.
The line includes “everything from regular grape juice all the way up to grape powder,” which gives manufacturers flexibility in terms of how much water content they can absorb in their products, May said. He added the company also has FruitWorx real fruit pieces and fruit purees which together give manufacturers “as many tools as possible to use Concord grapes in their products” and really seize this purple trend.


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Wrapping relief event to support homeless shelter
A second Wrapping Relief Fundraiser will be held Sunday, Dec. 23, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Merrill Enrichment Center, 303 N. Sales St., Merrill.
Relax and enjoy holiday music while we wrap your gifts, or drop off packages and pick up the finished product before noon. All wrapping supplies are provided, including clothing boxes. You just need to bring in gifts and freewill donations are kindly appreciated.
All proceeds from the gift wrapping fundraiser with be donated toward the purchase of a washer and dryer for the new Merrill warming shelter. The event is sponsored by Merrill Rotary Club, Park City Credit Union and Merrill Enrichment Center.


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There are #hashtags and @ symbols. There are key words. There are ways to find and create trending topics.
Hiring a social media agency can cost a fortune. And you’d be hard-pressed to find one willing to do a social media campaign for a single press release!
PR NewsChannel is proud to introduce the Twitter pitch, which we’re calling a Twipitch (TM). And it’s designed for a single press release.
PR NewsChannel is the first press release distribution company with such an option or feature.
We offer a two day Twipitch campaign.
Contact us for more information about making Twipitch part of your distribution.
And don’t forget to say a little birdie told you to call.


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By:Â Saira Malhotra
It's that time of year where we sit around the table and acknowledge how thankful we are for a good harvest before we tuck into turkey and candied yams- Thanksgiving! Yet this year, it seems like a paradox to be so thankful as we face the highest rise in costs for a thanks giving meal in 2 decades. Yes, pretty much everything at our Thanksgiving table will reflect a 13% price hike, be it pumpkin pie or stuffing according to the American Farm Bureau Federation this week (not to mention turkey's rise in cost by 22%).
The cost of food is certainly on the rise but the rate at which it is increasing does not go hand-in-hand with the Thanksgiving dinner. The Census Bureau indicated an increase of 6.3% of food eaten at home, which is less than half compared to this holiday feast. As mentioned by Business week, while the U.S. food prices go up, global food prices have made the descent by 9.1%.
Yet these price hikes should not come as a surprise. With gasoline prices inflating by 28%, there would be an inevitable repercussion on food costs. To make matters worse, many are faced with paying for high food price with shallow pockets as they are shelling out more for fuel. "Consumers are getting a double whammy. It costs more to get to work, and they have less disposable income to spend on other things after they go to the grocery store", says Corinne Alexander, an agricultural economist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Does this mean that you have to compromise on what will be at your Thanksgiving table? Not necessarily and there are ways to be smart about it without making a hole in your pocket according to Business Insider:
1)Â Â Â Â Â Avoid drug store shopping - Make your purchases for food items at grocery stores as they are more competitively priced.
2)Â Â Â Â Â Download 'Grocery iQ' on to your phone to get the latest in deals and coupons.
3)Â Â Â Â Â Make sure to use your grocery store 'rewards card' to avail of all promotions.
4)Â Â Â Â Â Benefit from economies of scale by making more food and freezing leftovers for a 'don't feel like cooking' evening.
5)Â Â Â Â Â Pot luck - Outsource certain courses to your guests. You will make them feel like participants and not just guests as well as freeing up some of your own funds.
Photo:Â The Vault DFWÂ
For more updates on food news, follow me on Twitter (@MarcusCooks)


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The world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has finally commenced shipping of its much-anticipated Visa cards to the EEA region.
Now, European users will have access to the myriad of functions brought to life by Binance Visa cards. Interestingly, Ether-based payments can now be seamlessly carried out using the Visa card.
According to an official Binance announcement, EEA users who have previously booked the cards should expect them soon. They only need to finalize the delivery process of the card in their card wallet. Alongside commencing shipping of the cards, Binance also revealed that the card already supports Ethereum (ETH). This means that European users can carry out Ethereum transactions with the Binance Visa card. They only simply need to transfer Ethereum tokens to their card wallet and then make it their most preferred payment asset.
More on the Card
Launched by Binance, the Visa card has a daily spending threshold of $10,600, which is approximately 8,700 euros. ATM withdrawals with the card also have a daily limit of $350, which is approximately 290 euros. Interestingly, transactions carried out using the Visa card attracts zero fees from now until 2021. The card, furthermore, boasts of 8% cashback.
Binance officially announced plans to launch the Visa card for the EEA region in July 2020. The exchange only offered virtual cards at first. Due to popular demand, it decided to launch physical cards. These cards are currently being shipped now.
An update for the Binance visa card is dashboard improvements. Users can now easily view their monthly BNB stash in the card wallet. The same applies to daily withdrawals and spending using the card.
Following the successful launch of its EEA Visa card, Binance has furthermore disclosed plans to launch cards for other regions of the world. One such region that stands out is Russia.
Interested persons in the EEA yet to put in an order for their Visa cards can do so here.
At the time of publication, BNB was trading at $33.24, with a market cap of $4,920,231,449 and a 24-hour trading volume of $662,055,409.
Find out more about Binance on the Altcoin Buzz YouTube channel.


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Au Bon Pain and LNK Partners, a private equity firm focused on the consumer/retail sector, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which LNK will partner with management to recapitalize the company. The investment will support Au Bon Pain’s expansion strategy in the United States and in selected global markets.
Boston-based Au Bon Pain today operates 226 bakery cafés systemwide, including company owned locations and franchise cafés in the U.S. and internationally. In 2007, Au Bon Pain generated sales revenue of almost $300 million systemwide.
In the recapitalization transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter, LNK and Au Bon Pain management will acquire a majority ownership interest in the company. LNK and its affiliates will invest more than $100 million of equity. Compass Group PLC, a leading global foodservice company that owned the company from 2000 to 2005, will remain an equity and strategic partner. An investor group led by PNC Mezzanine Capital, which structured and arranged financing support for management’s 2005 acquisition of Au Bon Pain, and including AlpInvest Partners N.V., will sell its interest in the company.
“Au Bon Pain is poised for significant growth, building on the brand’s 30 years of success in the U.S. and internationally,” says Henry Nasella, a founding partner of LNK Partners. “The company’s management team, which will continue to be led by CEO Sue Morelli, has delivered extraordinary financial results over the past several years, including 33 consecutive quarters of positive comparable store sales and outstanding guest count growth–qualities that distinguish Au Bon Pain as one of the most successful fast casual operators in the restaurant industry. LNK looks forward to partnering with the entire Au Bon Pain team and its entrepreneurial culture as they continue their successful growth plans over the next several years.”
“LNK is the ideal partner for Au Bon Pain at this stage of its growth,” says Sue Morelli, President and CEO of Au Bon Pain. “The LNK team is highly knowledgeable and respected in our sector, and will provide us with valuable strategic guidance and industry insights as we move forward. Au Bon Pain’s balance sheet remains strong, allowing us to achieve our strategic goals.”
Jeff Perlman, a Managing Director of LNK Partners, says, “We are very excited to be backing the Au Bon Pain management team. The Au Bon Pain brand is highly recognized and uniquely positioned with a strong and differentiated consumer value proposition. Further, the company is conservatively capitalized to enable significant future growth.”
CapitalSource, the company’s incumbent lender, has committed to providing the debt financing for the transaction. Intermediate Capital Group will provide junior debt. Piper Jaffray & Co. is acting as financial advisor to LNK, Mark Saltzgaber as consultant, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP as legal counsel. Brookwood Associates is acting as financial advisor to Au Bon Pain, and Nixon Peabody LLP is acting as legal counsel.


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It’s no secret bitcoin’s reputation has taken a beating thanks to online gamblers and money launderers, not to mention high-profile hacking scandals and business boondoggles that have left investors penniless.
But believers in the digital currency say the bad times are behind them, and, in Canada, the future is looking brighter than ever.
“Bitcoin is making a comeback,” says Joseph David, CEO of Calgary-based Cavirtex, Canada’s largest bitcoin exchange.
David spoke to Yahoo Canada Finance on a recent visit to Toronto where Cavirtex is the first-ever bitcoin representative at the World Money Show, taking a table alongside established bankers, traders and investors.
In the months since the painful collapse of Mt. Gox, the world’s largest bitcoin exchange, crypto currency believers have been fighting to convince the world of the currency’s legitimacy.
Tokyo-based Mt. Gox filed for bankruptcy in February, following the disappearance of nearly US$500 million, apparently at the hands of hackers. It was the second time the exchange was robbed, according to Wired magazine. Another US$8.75 million was stolen in 2011.
Unease stirred up in the wake of that fiasco depleted bitcoin volumes at exchanges worldwide, including Cavitrex. At the same time, public interest also faded.
The virtual currency’s is only now showing signs of rallying. Buyers are looking at prices of about C$450 for a single bitcoin, up from lows of about $300 in early October, said David.
Prior to the Mt. Gox collapse, the price of a bitcoin had soared to highs of more than $1100.
Business interest has also returned, with the likes of Dell and Expedia jumping onboard the list of (mainly online) retailers that are now accepting bitcoin as a form of payment.
Bitcoin, which emerged on the global scene in 2009, is marketed as a kind of currency without borders. It’s available to anyone with the money to pay for it and a mobile phone.
Unlike traditional currencies, bitcoin is not regulated by a central bank. Its value is tied to the demand applied by buyers and sellers.
Advocates like David see bitcoin as a disruptive technology that has the potential to replace cash, possibly within the next decade.
Bitcoin transactions are fast even by mobile-payment standards, have no transaction fees and allow users to easily move money around the world (a particularly attractive characteristic to users in countries where government restrictions limit international monetary transfers).
Should you jump on the bitcoin bandwagon?
Yet, even in Canada, where tech-savvy residents are showing steady interest in the bitcoin trend, overall adoption of the currency remains low.
Ning (Tony) Tang, a finance professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, believes there is still no real advantage to everyday consumers to spend bitcoins as they would regular currency.
Tang said ongoing security problems, combined with uncertain regulatory rules, force consumers to assume too much risk.
Credit cards and other forms of mobile payments are still more palatable to people who are looking to be protected from cyber theft. Many credit cards also offer attractive rebates, cash-back options and air miles.
Tang is currently conducting research that will measure the actual number of consumer transactions using bitcoins in Canada. No such data exists to date.
Right now, he said, it appears bitcoins best adopters are high-risk investors who are buying and holding on the belief the value will increase.
American consumers have shown the highest interest in bitcoin use, followed by Canada, China and various European countries.
In Canada, bitcoin ATMs are being installed to allow users to easily buy and sell the digital currency.
David is confident Canada’s bitcoin community will grow, but said Canadians need more information on what a bitcoin actually is and how the system works.
“It’s a learning curve,” he acknowledged.


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Australia , the UK, US, Norway and Germany are the leading countries in the surge of connected TV viewing, according to a groundbreaking three-year behavioural study.
A connected TV is a television that is connected to the internet by any means. Devices such as a smart TV, Roku, Apple TV or game console may all be used to connect the TV screen to the internet.
The data behind The Secret Life of Streamers, Part II, found that this cluster of countries had the highest rate of global share of plays on connected TV and that PC usage was down in these markets.
Globally connected TV streaming in the home has tripled since 2015 and has replaced the PC as the platform of choice for binge-watching.
While increasing numbers of viewers are reaching for their newer mobile devices the numbers is still a fraction of consumption on connected TV’s from major vendors. Market data from IHS Markit, confirms that smart TV’s from Samsung will account for 37.9% of all Smart TV shipments, followed by LG on 12.5%, Sony with 8.4%, Vizio on 5.9% and Philips with 3.4%.
The researchers, OTT TV intelligence specialist Conviva and OTT multiscreen media analysis firm nScreenMedia, spent three years analysing billions of streaming sessions around the globe. The report examines several significant viewing trends over the period including: in-home versus out-of-home, device usage across day parts, and content patterns related to short-form, long-form, live-linear broadcasts, and sports.
This level of consumption and device information is crucial when developing an entertainment delivery business for home and commercial settings.
“Our most recent independent analysis shows connected TV dominating all devices 24/7, with plays increasing 75 percent, highlighting the rise of this platform at the expense of other screens. The transition from traditional television to streaming television has become more prominent, and viewers are binge-watching multiple shows via connected TV during primetime,” said Colin Dixon, founder and principal analyst at nScreenMedia.
Core findings include that the average viewing session on connected TVs, at 77 minutes, is twice the amount of time viewers spend watching streaming video on personal computers and mobile devices.
Regarding consumption, the method viewers in the US and the UK stream on mobile devices, PCs, and connected TVs is very similar. Both countries favour connected TV, accounting for 46 percent of premium video plays in the US and 43 percent in the UK.
Longer episodic content on mobiles is preferred in the UK, US, and Norway while Canadians prefer short videos on mobile. “The transition from traditional television to streaming television has become more prominent, and viewers are binge-watching multiple shows via connected TV during primetime,” he added.
When it comes to quality, the report found that mobile picture quality (as measured by bitrate) has improved worldwide, and the rebuffering ratio is also improving (with a few exceptions).
“Viewer experience, content, and monetization have become the three pillars of the next generation of TV, and the industry needs accurate data to make competitive business decisions,” the report states.
Specialist IPTV systems integrator focusing on service providers and enterprises. CombiTel offers unmatched value to its clients based on its unique mix of skills and many years of experience in both Telecommunications and Broadcasting. We have a proven track record and happy customers in Australia and New Zealand.
More information: combitel.com.au


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It’s no Half-Life 3, but Valve has just announced its brand-new game, and it’s one that old-school fans are going to love. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is due out in 2012, and promises to expand upon everything that was so great about the original Counter-Strike.
Doug Lombardi, Vice President of Marketing at Valve is a bit excited:
Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999.
For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS’ award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac.
What’s he talking about? Global Offensive features new maps, new weapons, and new characters. Classic CS content, revamped and updated for today’s audience. There’s also a bunch of new gameplay modes thrown in, and the new standard features of matchmaking and leader boards.
CS:GO is currently in development at Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment (also based in Seattle). The team is “targeting” a release via Steam (of course) for both PC and Mac, as well as PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.


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Streaming to make a difference…now that’s a cause we can get behind.
What’s Trending, a popular YouTube website, has announced that it will team up with Ford and various YouTube celebrities to help raise money for The Covenant House with the third annual TubeAThon streaming event, which will take place on December 11 from 7-9 p.m. PDT, on the company’s streaming channel.
With the event, various talents from Hollywood will come together – including comedians, musicians and personalities – to help raise money to benefit the homeless. These talents include Trevor Morane, Jasmine V., Glozell, Nerdist, Rooster Teeth and other popular YouTube faces.
Users at home can take part in the donations, and not just directly. Those who tweet select hashtags (like #Tubeathon and #gofurther) will have $1 donated to The Covenant House, via both Ford and What’s Trending. Other partners joining up for the event include Comedy Gives Back and Tiltify, who will provide both entertainment and donations. Gamers who stream on Twitch will also be able to get involved as well, although What’s Trending didn’t quite explain how just yet.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Ford on board again to bring together the community and fans from around the world around a great cause. Tube-A-Thon continues to be a highlight of my year, and it’s an honor to have worked with the Covenant House to help and empower today’s youth that need support,” said Shira Lazar, founder of What’s Trending and TubeAThon. “This year we will continue to raise more money than previous years and work towards innovating fundraising through digital and social media.”
“It’s an honor for Ford to once again partner with What’s Trending and continue efforts to improve the lives of youth in need,” said Ford representative, Mary Ellen Abraham. “We hope more people will Go Further with Ford and What’s Trending this year to exceed last year’s results, as well as enjoy the world class talent that comes together for the TubeAThon.”
In addition to the live online broadcast, a special 1-hour version of the event will also air on AXS TV on an undisclosed date – which should certainly bring in even more donations to The Covenant House.


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| Jun 4, 2013
| 10:30 AM
Marketers typically shy away from pairing up with films unless they're based on an existing -- and already popular -- property. But with hits like "High School Musical," "Camp Rock" and "The Cheetah Girls," the Disney Channel Original Movie has become...
| May 31, 2013
| 6:27 AM
CARNIVAL GAME DAY: bounce houses, vendor displays, carnival games, raffles and a zip line: 10 a.m. Saturday; Waterford Lakes Town Center, 413 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando; free; 407-737-2866.
ORLANDO COIN & MONEY SHOW: 9 a.m. Sunday; Maitland...
| May 28, 2013
| 1:22 PM
Futuristic fabrics and high-tech garments are just one way technology is affecting the fashion landscape. Another, e-commerce, was the topic of discussion at Fashion Digital Los Angeles, a recent day-long conference in Hollywood.
Some 450 registrants...
| May 23, 2013
| 2:01 PM
Believe it or not, something good has happened to brick-and-mortar bookstores. In the first quarter of 2013, more book buyers walked in their doors -- a lot more.
Retail watcher Placed Insights found brick-and-mortar booksellers saw a 27% increase in...
| May 23, 2013
| 11:34 AM
Kmart’s woes — sliding sales, worried investors — would make any retailer want to curse. But as it turns out, the discounter’s dirty mouth may prove to be a saving grace.
The chain, which has a bit of a fuddy-duddy reputation,...
| May 16, 2013
| 5:48 AM
What is the appetite these days for the kind of entertainment put out by the likes of the Backstreet Boys? And if Backstreet’s back (alright!), can Aaron Carter get some of that?
One of the most popular acts in the boy-band resurgence of the...
| May 1, 2013
| 12:34 AM
Bubbles, owned by Michael Jackson, makes an appearance at Temple City K-Mart store to promote new line of toys called Michael's Pets. He's holding likeness of himself....
| Apr 30, 2013
| 10:42 AM
Sofia Vergara doesn't seem to want another big wedding when she and fiance Nick Loeb tie the knot.
"He was already married with a big wedding and I was already married with a big wedding, so we're going to do something but not right now," the "Modern...
| Apr 26, 2013
| 7:54 AM
Michelle Rodriguez, co-starring with Vin Diesel in "Fast and Furious 6," appears on the cover of the May issue of Cosmopolitan for Latinas, and says inside that she can make any style sexy. "I'll wear a leather jacket with nothing underneath," she said....
| Apr 24, 2013
| 7:47 AM
More than 600 Harford County residents joined to support the nation's smallest citizens at the 2013 March for Babies on Sunday along Route 23 in Forest Hill, raising in excess of $100,000 to improve and protect the health of infants.
Now in its 43rd ...
| Apr 22, 2013
| 5:00 PM
A half-empty former shopping mall in Eldersburg will be remade as a Walmart-anchored plaza under plans announced Monday by owner Black Oak Associates.
In a move long awaited by many in the community, the Owings Mills-based developer will spend $50...


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A popular Middlesbrough pub has reopened after a “significant” refurb - and gained a new name.
Liquor Vaults, previously Last Orders on Zetland Road, has undergone a ten-day transformation with husband and wife landlords Scott and Helen Llewellyn at the helm.
A spokesman for pub group Amber Taverns, which owns the venue, said: “The group has invested a significant amount of money in refurbishing what is a great community pub.
“There’s a range of cocktails, craft ales and the main brands that people love so much are still there. There’ll be no price hike either.”
And he cleared up rumours about the much-loved Karaoke entertainment, after a post on the pub’s Facebook page claimed it was being scrapped.
Followers were quick to complain after the statement, which said: “The karaoke isn’t going to continue, as a company we are moving forward in a different direction.”
One Facebook user said: “Would lose lots of regulars if the Karaoke is stopped”, while another posted: “Whaaaat?!?! They’ll lose half their custom.”
Others came on to say: “Obviously looking for new clientele”.
The pub took on board the complaints and came back with: “We’ve done a U turn!”
The spokesperson added: “Karaoke was something people were quite keen to see remain, we have listened to the customers and provided a new karaoke.
“Karaoke VIP is happening across various Amber Tavern pubs, people can win competitions with prizes from bar tabs to holiday in Dubai, every time they sing they get entered into a raffle draw.”
The news went down well with regulars, who posted: “Wahooo Saturday’s might be saved!!!” and “Totally love the atmosphere when karaoke is on, so very happy.”


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What’s the biggest or most expensive raffle item your company has ever given away for a Christmas party? Most companies probably offer motorcycles or flat-screen TVs or other household appliances as major prizes, but a company recently went viral for offering brand-new cars at their Christmas party after a rather successful year! Can you believe that?
After a record-breaking 2019, US-based wholesale mortgage lender United Shore Financial Services felt like celebrating so much that it gave away a total of 13 Cadillac XT5s! But that’s not all. The company also raffled off 30 cruise trips to the Bahamas and hundreds of minor prices. We all have one question after this… Where can we send our application? LOL.
With the Cadillac XT5 price starting at $41,695 (Php2.1 million), the company had so easily given away over $542k (Php27 million)! Whoa. They really must have had a really wonderful year, huh?
“It was a good year around here. The secret sauce is the people and the culture and the team,” explained company CEO Mat Ishbia, beaming with pride.
Indeed, the company’s financial report shows that it had lots of reasons to celebrate. Not only did its workforce nearly double from 2,700 to 4,800 in just one year (they started hiring at least 250 people per month), the company was expected to have increased its mortgage broker volume production by more than double – or a whopping $106 billion!
With that much money in sales, it’s really no wonder that the company oh so willingly raffled off that many luxury cars in the Christmas party! For sure, everyone would work extra hard next year so the company might raffle off more luxury cars or, perhaps, give them bigger bonuses.
What’s a Mortgage Broker?
A mortgage broker is someone or a company that handles mortgage loans on behalf of individuals or businesses. This is often done through a bank or other traditional lending institutions.


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The cigar industry is celebrating a legislative victory against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta has ruled that the warning label requirement imposed on the premium cigar industry by the FDA is illegal. Judge Mehta based his ruling on several conclusions including how the warning label requirement would violate manufacturers’ First Amendment rights and that it violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which outlines how the FDA develops and enforces its rules.
This ruling took into account two lawsuits–Cigar Association of America et. Al v. United States Food and Drug Administration et al. and En Fuego Tobacco Shop et. Al. v. United States Food and Drug Administration et al. In the Enfuego Tobacco Shop case, the FDA argued that because all three plaintiffs in the case had ties to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR), now known as the Premium Cigar Association (PCA), the Enfuego Tobacco Shop lawsuit was invalid. Mehta, however, chose not to acknowledge this claim.
Mehta questioned the entire warning label plan which would require manufacturers to submit warning label plans for their products 12-months in advance. He also questioned the validity of the the law based on who signed it. Mehta’s ruling also questions why the FDA has yet to settle on a definition of a premium cigar, noting that it’s willingness to even consider a premium cigar exemption meant that the agency understands how the premium cigar category is not all the same and may call for a different overall approach when it comes to regulating.
Mehta summarized his decision as a failure of the FDA to “articulate a reasoned basis for requiring warning labels for premium cigars.” He went on to say, “By failing to analyze whether consumers are in fact misinformed or underinformed as to premium cigar health effects, the agency has failed to offer the rational connection between facts and judgment required to pass muster under the arbitrary and capricious standard.”
J.C. Newman Cigar Company, a family-owned premium cigar company that has been among the more active manufacturers advocating for regulatory relief since the announcement of the Deeming Rule, released the following statement:
For 125 years, my family has been carefully packing our handcrafted cigars in decorative wooden boxes with beautiful cigar labels and bands. FDA wanted to cover 30% of a cigar box with a large health warning label. This would have destroyed the historic character of premium cigar packaging and turned walk-in humidors in premium cigar stores into large billboards for the FDA.
Today, Judge Mehta recognized that premium cigars are different and that FDA cannot ignore that fact. He concluded that there was an insufficient legal basis for FDA to require warning labels for premium cigars. Therefore, he struck down the warning label requirement, sending it back to the agency for further consideration. The practical effect of this decision is that there is no longer a federal requirement to apply warning labels to premium cigars.
Today is an important and historic day for the American premium cigar industry, and we should celebrate it. However, our victory is not complete. Premium cigars are still regulated by FDA, and we are 99 days away from the May 12, 2020 premarket review deadline. In three months, we will be required to file substantial equivalency reports for all new cigars first sold after 2007. This is a monumental and exorbitantly expensive requirement that no one has been able to meet, and we urgently need relief from it.
We are very grateful to the plaintiffs in Texas for litigating this case and for Cigar Rights of America and the Premium Cigar Association for to continuing to advocate on behalf of the premium cigar industry. My family and I look forward to continue working with them and others in the industry to ensure that America’s premium cigar tradition can continue for generations.
With the warning label requirement now struck down, attention is turning to the next legal challenge–Substantial Equivalence (SE). Set to go into effect on May 12, 2020, this part of the Deeming Rule forces all deemed tobacco products, including premium cigars, to submit an application for any tobacco product that was released after 2016 [read more here]. This process has yet to be clearly defined by the FDA and will place a financial burden on manufacturers who will be tasked with gathering required information for the FDA to review in order to keep their products on the market.
For all the latest legislation and FDA news impacting the tobacco industry, click here.